From your editor:

I just realized just how much this reading challenge is like a marathon:
26 books! 26 miles! Get it?!?!?!

Congratulations to Jay, who's finished the half-marathon and is well on his way to the finish line.

- K

swingbeat: 13/26: Choosing God's Best by Dr. Don Raunikar

Recommended. This is my nth foray into the world of Christian singledom books. Actually, this was a lot better than I expected. It was recommended to me by a recently married couple (the groom read it a few years ago, and they both read it again on a vacation together!). So I figured I'd give it a try. I wasn't really expecting much.

This book is actually pretty conservative, more so than me. It talks about the principles of courtship (nothing new) - where people should date only for the goal of getting married, yada yada. It expounds quite a bit on "counterfeit oneness", the idea where spending too much time with someone artificially increases the closeness they feel, especially spiritually and emotionally. I've seen this happen to me as well as friends.

It took me quite a bit of time to go through this book (hence the three week hiatus). The ending chapters weren't as interesting to me as the first few chapters since the latter parts of the book dealt with stuff that I've read in other books. The earlier chapters made points on Christian dating that I could relate to. There were many times where I nodded my head in agreement or self-realization. The key takeaway is that Christian singles should eschew society's views on dating.

All in all I'd say to take the book with a grain of salt (as was suggested by my recommenders) because they are pretty conservative.

Recommended (but really, only if you're Christian :) ).

KAYAN : book 2/26 : Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Well, well. Look who's finally finished a book.

C.S. Lewis is able to put Mere Christianity into terms that intrigue both believers and non-believers of Jesus Christ. Lewis forces the reader to think about exactly what he or she is accepting or rejecting about Christianity, and why. He doesn't shove religion down your throat; rather, Lewis gives the Christian perspective using analogies and "let's say you're in this predicament" examples, and allows the reader to keep pondering on her own.

Practical yet convicted, Lewis' diplomatic style is engaging yet light. With chapters grouped into four sections, and each chapter addressing one specific aspect of Christianity (there are two chapters titled "Faith", and they're back-to-back), the reader has the option of skipping around. This fits my hyper-sporadic-active reading habit.

Recommended: both Christians and non-Christians.
Beverage pairing: Iced tea (hot tea with lemon if it's cold outside)

yong : book 4/25 : The World According to Garp by John Irving

Like Rich, I was looking for a light, easy read after all the sweat and tears I'd expended toiling through Les Mis. Unfortunately, I overshot.

I'd picked up this ratty paperback at a book giveaway. That's what they do with the dregs that are left after a friends-of-this-or-that-library book sale. The cover fell off while I was reading it, but as you can see, I skillfully reattached it with clear packaging tape; it's now in slightly sturdier condition than when I found it.

"America's most jubilant bestseller!" declares the cover. On the back, more glowing testimonials and review snippets. Now I ain't normally a bestseller kind of guy. But you gotta understand, I was in a gravely weakened reading condition after my last book. I bit. Only there wasn't much to bite.

I vaguely remembered watching the movie with Robin Williams. Well, the movie skips the first four hundred pages of this 609 page book. It also skips the last hundred and seventy pages or so. The forty pages or so in the middle that the movie actual deals with, I think (but don't confidently remember) it completely rewrote.

This was a book that was actually well-suited to reading in fifteen minute nibbles during the silent reading period that we have between fourth and fifth period at the school I'm student teaching at. It was a book that I had no problem putting down, until I got to tha last chapter and a half of its 19 chapters. Through the first two-thirds, I felt no suspense or anticipation or excitement or concern for any of the main characters. There was nothing "jubilant" about it, or compelling, or even vaguely emotional. Finally, in the last third of the book, it got a little interesting. And the last chapter and a half were actually quite good. And the last sentence was a knockout. But does that justify the first four hundred pages?

It just goes to show...you really can't judge a book by its cover. :D

From your editor:
1. Bridget is almost done. Yay!
2. Bridget just got engaged. Yay!

- K

Bridget: 15/26: Why Do Men Have Nipples- Hundreds of Questions You Would Ask Your Doctor Only after Your Third Martini by Mark Leyner & Billy Goldberg

Stats: 224 pp, Adult Entertainment (didn't know how else to classify this)

Summary: Really entertaining book! The book was written by a tv show writer (who wrote for an MTV show about doctors and a show named Wonderland) as well as an ER doc who was asked to consult on Wonderland (which was panned after a few episodes) and had a lot of answers or access to journals that found answers to the questions asked.

I found myself laughing out loud frequently. There are various questions with topics ranging from bathroom humor, body parts, alcohol and food consumption, old wives tales and more. I had already learned some of these things throughout life but there are definitely questions that I had not even thought to ask that random people had asked these gents. The writers also include various IM messages that they had written each other during the construction of this book. You learn a bunch of vocabulary too. My favorite word is callipygian which means "having well-shaped buttocks" :)

Warning: If swearing offends you, though infrequent, it is used throughout the book in various parts.

Recommended if you want some light entertaining reading.

Bridget: 14/26: Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee

Stats: 368pp: Non-Fiction

Summary: Great book. I read this book over the course of a few months. I try not to get in the habit of reading multiple books at once but I was allowed to keep renewing these books whereas I couldn't renew the other books I previously blogged.

If you didn't get enough good feelings about this author when Jay blogged about him months ago (in his review of Aloft), I have another example of great literary prose just waiting for more readers to appreciate the talents of the author. Lee really had a great use of vocabulary that at times directs or misdirects the readers as plot devices to keep you interested but not frustrated with the progression of the story.

Henry Park, a Korean-American professional in his 30s, takes you through the highs and lows experienced in his job, his love life, and his family life. There are aspects to each that surprise you and shock you into reading more. Lee does a good job of giving a very genuine and believable picture of life events and personality flaws that can corrode relationships as well as realistic solutions to slowing the damage.

Recommended. I like that none of the characters in this story are perfect or have a perfect view of him/herself. I'm not sure if a person could devour this book in one sitting. But it is good reading for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Bridget: 13/26: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Stats: 352pp. Sci-Fi

Summary: Great read! If you read American Gods by Gaiman, you would definitely be pleased with this novel too. Even with my status of being a hard at work student, I still made time to read this one.

The book starts out with a character named Fat Charlie Nancy. He is the son of the spider god Anansi. With the sudden death of his father (you may wonder how a god can die... it is explained in the book), Fat Charlie's life changes. A surprise visitor comes to see Fat Charlie and his once normal life is bombarded with the influence of the gods. Like most Gaiman books that I have read, the main character goes on a journey where he learns more about himself, his history, and ultimately becomes better and stronger than he once was.

Highly recommended. If you have not read anything by Neil Gaiman, you should start now. This book like all others I have read by this author is a great story that was waiting to be told. Gaiman is such a good story teller because he intertwines myth and reality in such a way that you think that these things really can and do happen :) His graphic novel The Sandman is a good starter into the Neil Gaiman world.

Bridget: 12/26: The Genius of Flexibility by Bob Cooley

Stats: 320pp; self-help

Summary: This was a pretty interesting book. I had read a review of it on Amazon with a description of how this book has changed the lives of a number of Olympic atheletes and marathon runners. I also found it particularly interesting because of the tie it makes to Chinese Medicine (ideas of how certain external parts of the body correspond to internal organ groups) and how these flexibility exercises can lead to better physical, emotional, and even spiritual well-being. People who study social personality types might also like this book because Cooley describes 16 different personality types and how different exercises can point to which one you are most like.

The books starts out with Cooley and the events that lead up to this breakthrough in overall wellness. In other chapters, he describes the personality types, the tie in to Chinese Medicine, how these exercises can change your life, and then several chapters which include sets of beginner, intermediate and advanced exercises.

If anything, you will learn a new way to look at systemic well-being and I think that you would be in for a good laugh. There are some bizarre stretches that literally made me laugh out loud when I saw them. I laughed to imagine Bob Cooley sitting in his basement bending his arms and legs this way in order to make a full set of exercises for his book.

Recommended. Although the explanations behind the exercises were compelling, admittedly, I only tried one of them!